Monkeypox Live Updates May 22: The world is in the third year of the pandemic and the World Health Organisation has already predicted an outbreak of another virus. The Monkeypox outbreak is something “everybody should be concerned about,” U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday, adding that US health officials are looking into possible treatments and vaccines, reported Reuters. Various health experts have cautioned against the rising cases of Monkeypox in Europe and elsewhere, a type of viral infection which is currently more common to west and central Africa. According to the WHO, as of May 21st, 92 confirmed cases, and 28 suspected cases of Monkeypox have been reported from 12 Member States that are not endemic for Monkeypox virus. These countries are Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK and US. WHO has said that it is expecting more cases of Monkeypox as surveillance expands to non-endemic countries.
Monkeypox spreads differently from COVID-19. There has not been a single case of Monkeypox in India as of now but the gradual rise and spread of the virus across countries has triggered fear amongst masses. WHO is working with the affected countries and is trying to expand disease surveillance to find and support people who may be affected, and to provide guidance on how to manage the disease.
The Indian government had earlier asked the National Centre for Disease Control and the ICMR to keep a strict vigil on possible Monkeypox outbreak. The Ministry has reportedly asked authorities to isolate sick passengers from affected countries and send their samples to NIV Pune for investigation. For those unaware, WHO says that Monkeypox typically presents clinically with fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.
Stay with FE Online to know more about the endemic Monkeypox.
Israeli authorities say they have detected the country's first case of monkeypox in a man who returned from abroad and were looking into other suspected cases.
Israel's Health Ministry said late Saturday the man was in a Tel Aviv hospital in good condition.
It called on anyone returning from abroad with fever and lesions to see a doctor.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, the head of public health services at the ministry, told Israeli Army Radio Sunday that medical teams were investigating other suspected monkeypox cases.
Israel's case appeared to be the first identified in the Middle East.
The World Health Organisation has identified about 80 cases globally, and roughly 50 more suspected cases.
Cases of the smallpox-related disease have previously been seen only among people with links to central and West Africa.
But Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the U.S., Sweden and Canada all reported infections, mostly in young men who hadn't previously travelled to Africa. France, Germany, Belgium and Australia have also identified cases.
The virus originates in primates and other wild animals and causes fever, body aches, chills and fatigue in most patients.
People with severe cases can develop a rash and lesions on the face, hands and other parts of the body. (AP)
Austria's first suspected case of Monkeypox has been reported in Vienna, a 35-year-old man who was taken to hospital overnight, national broadcaster ORF said on Sunday, citing a spokesman for the city's top health official. The patient had symptoms typical of the illness, including a slight fever and pustules on his face, ORF said, adding that tests should determine whether it is in fact Monkeypox by Sunday night. (Reuters)
Amid Monkeypox cases being reported from some countries, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had on Friday directed NCDC and ICMR to keep a close watch on the situation. The Union Health Ministry has also directed airport and port health officers to be vigilant. (PTI)
According to WHO, Monkeypox is usually self-limiting but may be severe in some individuals, such as children, pregnant women or persons with immune suppression due to other health conditions. WHO says human infections with the West African clade appear to cause less severe disease compared to the Congo Basin clade, with a case fatality rate of 3.6% compared to 10.6% for the Congo Basin clade.
As per WHO, reported cases thus far have no established travel links to an endemic area. Based on currently available information, cases have mainly but not exclusively been identified amongst men who have sex with men (MSM) seeking care in primary care and sexual health clinics.
US President Joe Biden said Sunday that recent cases of monkeypox that have been identified in Europe and the United States were something “to be concerned about.'' In his first public comments on the disease, Biden added: “It is a concern in that if it were to spread it would be consequential.“ The president was asked about the disease as he spoke to reporters at Osan Air Base in South Korea, where he visited troops before taking off for Japan to continue his first trip to Asia as president. “They haven't told me the level of exposure yet but it is something that everybody should be concerned about,'' Biden said. He added that work was underway to determine what vaccine might be effective. (AP)
Switzerland has detected its first confirmed case of monkeypox, a person in the canton of Bern who contracted it through “close physical contact abroad”, the canton said in a statement on Saturday. The person consulted a doctor because they had a fever and a rash and felt poorly, the canton said, adding that the person was in isolation at home and the illness was developing in a “benign” way. A person they had been in contact with has been informed, the canton added. (Reuters)
A day after the Union government directed the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to keep a close watch on Monkeypox cases being reported from some countries, Kerala Health Minister Veena George directed the district authorities in the state to remain vigilant and create awareness about the disease. The Minister said the health department has called a special meeting and initiated the necessary precautionary measures. “Authorities have been asked to remain vigilant as the Monkeypox, which was earlier detected in Africa alone, has begun to spread to other parts of the world. Everyone should have awareness on the disease and preventive measures,” the minister said in a statement. (PTI)
The World Health Organization is working on further guidance for countries on how to mitigate the spread of monkeypox, amid concerns cases could spike further in the summer months, a senior adviser for the U.N. agency told Reuters. The WHO's working theory based on the cases identified so far is that the outbreak is being driven by sexual contact, said David Heymann, chair of the WHO's Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential. He led a meeting on the outbreak on Friday. Monkeypox is an infectious disease that is usually mild, and is endemic in parts of west and central Africa. It is spread by close contact, which means it can be relatively easily contained through such measures as self-isolation and hygiene once a new case is identified. (Reuters)
Dutch health authorities announced more cases of monkeypox on Saturday, a day after the first case was confirmed. “We have found several patients in the Netherlands with monkeypox,” the National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in a statement. The RIVM did not give an exact number or any details about the people infected, but said more information would be released after the weekend. More than 100 cases of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, have been reported in Europe this week, with German officials describing the outbreak as the largest ever in the region. (Reuters)
WHO reports that the name Monkeypox originates from the initial discovery of the virus in monkeys in a Danish laboratory in 1958. The first human case was identified in a child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970. According to the WHO, Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding. The incubation period of Monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.
The monkeypox outbreak is something “everybody should be concerned about,” U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday, adding that U.S. health officials are looking into possible treatments and vaccines. “We're working on it hard to figure out what we do,” Biden told reporters at an air base in South Korea before departing on Air Force One for Japan. (Reuters)
Norway has begun searching for possible cases of monkeypox in the capital Oslo, the country's Institute of Public Health (FHI) said on Saturday. “A foreigner who visited Oslo from May 6-10 has, after returning home, been confirmed to have been infected,” FHI said. It did not say which country had identified the case. (Reuters)
As of 21 May, 13:00, 92 laboratory confirmed cases, and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox with investigations ongoing, have been reported to WHO from 12 Member States that are not endemic for monkeypox virus, across three WHO regions. No associated deaths have been reported to date.
At least two cases of Monkeypox have been registered in Berlin, health authorities in the German capital said on Saturday, one day after the country registered its first case in Munich. The city of Berlin's health ministry said in a statement that more cases would likely emerge over the next few days, adding that the patients were in stable condition and that genetic sequencing would clarify the type of disease strain. (Reuters)
Israel on Saturday reported its first confirmed case of monkeypox, which officials expected would be contained. The case is a man in his 30s who had returned from a trip in western Europe, according to the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov, where he is quarantined and in mild condition. (ReutersIsrael on Saturday reported its first confirmed case of monkeypox, which officials expected would be contained. The case is a man in his 30s who had returned from a trip in western Europe, according to the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov, where he is quarantined and in mild condition. (Reuters)
The World Health Organization said it expects to identify more cases of monkeypox as it expands surveillance in countries where the disease is not typically found. The U.N. agency said it will provide further guidance and recommendations in coming days for countries on how to mitigate the spread of monkeypox. “Available information suggests that human-to-human transmission is occurring among people in close physical contact with cases who are symptomatic”, the agency added. Monkeypox is an infectious disease that is usually mild, and is endemic in parts of west and central Africa. It is spread by close contact, so it can be relatively easily contained through such measures as self-isolation and hygiene. (Reuters)
